PHILLY FREE STREETS FAST FACTS

A seven-mile roundtrip route will close to vehicular traffic and open to walkers, runners and bikers.

The route connects Philadelphia’s Historic District to El Centro de Oro in North Philadelphia.

Participants can join the Philly Free Streets fun at any point along the route.

Special programming for those of all ages is scheduled throughout the event.

The free event welcomes pedestrians, runners and cyclists of all ages to get out and move without needing to worry about cars.

Free activity zones throughout the Philly Free Streets route will host activities such as handball demos, Zumba classes, boot camp workouts and more, creating five hours of al fresco fun — right in the middle of the street.

The second-annual Philly Free Streets brings an urbanist’s dream to the City of Brotherly Love on Saturday, October 28.

Philly Free Streets Overview

Philly Free Streets is a people-powered initiative from the City of Philadelphia that temporarily closes streets to vehicular traffic.

During this time, people are invited to walk, bike and play on the car-free streets, exhaust- and worry-free.

Since 1994, the City of Philadelphia has closed Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive to vehicular traffic on weekends from April through October, opening up a four-mile stretch of the pavement road that lines the scenic Schuylkill River to encourage an active and healthy lifestyle.

(Photo courtesy Philly Free Streets)

Philly Free Streets features…

A seven-mile roundtrip route of traffic-free streets

Five hours of open-road fun

Multiple activity stations

And more…

Now, for the second year in a row, the city is expanding that program with Philly Free Streets, a pop-up event that furthers the commitment to encourage active transportation.

Philly Free Streets is open to all forms of people-powered, non-motorized transport. In other words, e-bikes, powered scooters, powered skateboards and Hoverboards are not permitted.

Interested in biking but don’t own a bike? Indego, Philly’s bike share program, will conveniently have stations set up at three different stops along the Philly Free Streets route. Find Indego bikes at 3rd and Chestnut streets, 3rd Street and Germantown Avenue and 5th Street and Germantown Avenue.

Activity Zones

Pedaling your bike or walking in the middle of the street is awesome in itself, but the Philly Free Streets team has also planned a bunch of extra fun.

More than a dozen locations throughout the route will host activities ranging from Latin dance classes to jewelry-making and more.

Head to Rainbow de Colores Park to check out handball demonstrations going down at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon. Meanwhile, at 3rd and Chestnut streets, an Independence Activity Zone will host a yoga class, boot camp and cardio session and the kickoff to a power walk with Mayor Jim Kenney.

(Photo by Darren Burton)

Philly Free Streets activities include…

Yoga and Zumba classes

Handball demonstrations

Capoeira sessions

Storytelling

And much, much more…

At North 5th Street & Indiana Avenue, activities like capoeira and stilt walking will take place. And at North 5th Street & Germantown Avenue, Neighborhood Bike Works will conduct bike tuneups and basic bike repairs.

Plus, plenty of photo-ops will be available on the route, including a Visit Philly XOXO photo spot in Philadelphia’s Historic District. Be sure to use #visitphilly and #historicphilly if you upload your photo to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Guests who participate in Philly Free Streets are encouraged to join in the fun at any point throughout the seven-mile route and are also encouraged to pop into the businesses that they pass along the way.

For the full schedule of activities and all of the location details for each event, click here.

Pokémon GO at Philly Free Streets

Philly Free Streets and Pokémon GO have teamed up to integrate the popular augmented reality game Pokémon GO into the program. Attendees can take a tour of the PokéStops on the route, and participants who visit PokéStops will qualify to win a Pokémon GO poster.

Philly Free Streets Route

Philly Free Streets will close a seven-mile roundtrip route connecting Philadelphia’s Historic District to El Centro de Oro in North Philadelphia. Beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday, October 28, the following streets will shut down to vehicular traffic:

Chestnut Street from 2nd to 5th streets

3rd Street from Walnut to Wood streets

Vine Street from 3rd to 4th streets

4th Street from Vine Street to Fairmount Avenue

Fairmount Avenue from 3rd to 4th streets

3rd Street from Fairmount to Germantown avenues

Thompson Street from Orianna Street to Germantown Avenue

Germantown Avenue from Thompson to Berks streets

4th Street from Oxford to Jefferson streets

Oxford Street from Lawrence to 4th streets

5th Street from Cecil B. Moore Avenue to Clearfield Street

The full Philly Free Streets map can be downloaded and viewed right here as well as below.

The following cross streets will remain open to east-west vehicular traffic for the duration of the event:

Walnut Street

Market Street

Arch Street

Callowhill Street

Spring Garden Street

Girard Avenue

Cecil B. Moore Avenue

Berks Street

Susquehanna Avenue

Lehigh Avenue

Clearfield Street

Those driving around the city are advised to avoid the area by using alternate routes and to allow for extra time if planning to travel in areas near the event.

For more information related to the street closures and details about parking restrictions, click here.

With five hours of open-road fun in store, rest up now and get ready to partake in the fun with us this Saturday!